Trick Questions

Are poinsettias poisonous?
Despite rumors that the slightest nibble on this Christmas flower will result in death, poinsettias are not poisonous to humans. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission determined in 1975 that the toxicity of poinsettias is a myth, though the flower is a nonfood substance and, if eaten, could cause some discomfort. You should, however, keep pets away from them.

Where are Panama hats made? see a sample
Always and still in Ecuador, where their manufacture helps to support the economy. They were once distributed through Panama.

Were red M&M's ever made with a carcinogenic dye?
No. In 1976, M&M/Mars responded to publicity about the carcinogenic effects of red dye number 2 by taking red M&M's off the market. However, red M&M's were not made with red dye number 2: The company acted because people wrongly believed that the dye was being used. Red M&M's were reintroduced in 1987.

What kind of snake tempted Eve?
It could have been any kind—or none at all. Eve was tempted by a "serpent"—which, in Biblical times, could refer to any creeping animal, particularly if it was venomous. Thus, Eve could have been tempted by anything from a snake to a salamander to a crocodile.

Where in the Bible does it say that cleanliness is next to godliness?
Nowhere. It came from John Wesley (1703–1791), the British theologian who founded Methodism.

Who said, "Everybody talks about the weather but nobody does anything about it"?
It was not Mark Twain! The quote first appeared in an editorial in the Hartford Courant of August 24 1897, probably written by associate editor Charles Dudley Warner. Warner had collaborated with Twain on The Gilded Age (1873).

What were Nathan Hale's last words?
Legend claims that when sentenced to death in 1776 by the British for spying, he proclaimed, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." But British officer Captain Frederick Mackenzie reports in his diaries that Hale said, "It is the only duty of every good officer to obey any orders given him by his commander in chief."

In what Shakespeare play does a character say, "Alas poor Yorick, I knew him well"?
In none of them! In Hamlet, Act V, Scene 3, Hamlet says, "Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio." For some reason the incorrect version is the one most people remember.

Does Bismarck, North Dakota, have anything to do with Otto von Bismarck, first chancellor of the German Empire?
Yes. The city in south central North Dakota—now the state capital—was founded in 1872 as Camp Hancock. A military post, it protected the crews working on the Northern Pacific Railway. In 1873, it was renamed in honor of then-chancellor Otto von Bismarck in hopes of attracting German railroad investors.

Why is the famous clock called Big Ben? More about Big Ben!
Big Ben is not a clock. It is a 13.5-ton bell in the clock tower of England's Houses of Parliament. Cast in 1858, the bell's installation was directed by the rotund Sir Benjamin Hall, commissioner of works. The bell was originally to be called Saint Stephen's, but the British newspapers renamed it Big Ben.

What part of a cat does catgut come from?
This basic element of tennis rackets and violins comes not from cats but from the intestines of sheep. The cat in the word may have derived from kit, an old word for a small violin. Valued for its toughness, catgut is also used for artificial limbs and in small machines like typewriters and clocks.

Did Neil Armstrong say, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind"?
That's what it sounds like on the tape that was recorded at 10:56 P.M. (EST) on July 20, 1969. But what he intended to say was, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." The a was somehow lost in the transmission.

More about the famous "Footprint on the Moon"!